The women’s health advocate

Pillar:

Montréal attorney turned global champion for women’s rights, Françoise Girard is a leading expert on women’s health, human rights, sexuality and HIV and AIDS. Prior to becoming president of the International Women’s Health Coalition in 2012, Françoise served as Director of the Public Health Program at Open Society Foundations. The self-described “feminist activist” has been working on these issues for 20-plus years, advocating for reproductive health and women’s rights with various UN agencies. She’s often tapped by the media to share her expertise on issues relative to women and human rights, policy analysis and international development.

Françoise believes that by raising the status of women, countries will advance economically and socially, and be in a better position to tackle the ecological and social challenges ahead (women and girls are the most affected by climate change, are 14 times more likely to die from natural disasters than men, and continue to experience alarming rates of violence in the home and in conflict zones). “We will not save our planet and safeguard our environment without making women’s rights a priority,” she says.

“Women’s rights… often act like a ‘canary in the coal mine’ of human rights.”

Françoise on HuffPost

Françoise sits on the board of the Women’s Funding Network and on the Advisory Committee of the Health and Human Rights Division of Human Rights Watch.

She played a key role in the agenda negotiations for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to end poverty by 2030.